


Dead Space, but with Trolls and not in Space

by Eromancery



Category: Vast Error
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 07:17:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16697884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eromancery/pseuds/Eromancery





	Dead Space, but with Trolls and not in Space

The desolate, gray sands of the boneyard glistened with emerald fire. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh. The night was pierced by by mad laughter, underscored by the crackling of flames and the moans of the undead.

“This is fun¡¡” Ellsee said. “Why havΣn’t you ΣvΣr donΣ this with mΣ bΣforΣ¿¿”

Occeus stood from the corpse he had been rummaging around in, gloved hands dripping with viscera.

“Because,” he said, “Eye generally d.o.n’t invite my matesprit t.o. events that have a significant chance .o.f leaving her disemb.o.weled.”

Ellsee’s staff shot out a lance of green flame at an approaching revenant. The creature’s torso burst violently, leaving a smoking pair of legs behind.

“It’s nicΣ that you carΣ,” she said, “but ΣvΣn if I do gΣt hurt, I happΣn to know a vΣry good - and vΣry attractivΣ - doctor.”

“.O.h?” Occeus turned to face her. “Y.o.u’ll have t.o. intr.o.duce me,” he deadpanned.

“You'Σ no fun,” Ellsee pouted. After a moment, her face brightened and she asked, “So why arΣ wΣ hΣrΣ, again¿¿”

“We are here,” Occeus said, “because Eye require an adult specimen .o.f the necr.o.vitalizing parasite f.o.r my experiments, and the best way t.o. acquire .o.ne is by rem.o.ving it fr.o.m a revenant.”

Ellsee looked back at the trail of singed corpse parts she had been leaving in her wake.

“Oh,” she said, sheepishly, “so I should probably stop Σxploding thΣm¿¿”

“That w.o.uld help, yes.”

“Sorry,” Ellsee said.

“Think n.o.thing .o.f it,” Occeus raised the parasite he had removed from the revenant. “Eye have reas.o.n t.o. believe that these were all juveniles. The adults are m.o.st likely in their dens.” He thought for a moment. “Besides, y.o.u l.oo.ked like y.o.u were having fun.”

A tremor interrupted Ellsee before she could formulate a response.

“Eye was w.o.ndering when he w.o.uld sh.o.w up,” Occeus said to himself

“What was that¿¿” Ellsee asked. “OccΣus¿¿ OccΣ-AH¡¡”

The ground under Ellsee’s feet collapsed, swallowing her like a snake swallows a mouse.

Occeus ran over to the edge of the pit and peered down.

“Ellsee,” he cried, “Are y.o.u alright?”

“I’m finΣ,” she called back. “ThΣ sand cushionΣd my fall. I’m in somΣ sort of tunnΣl.”

“H.o.ld .o.n. Eye’ll be right d.o.wn.”

“How arΣ you going to-” Ellsee’s question was answered by the WHUMPF of a body hitting the ground.

“.O.w,” Occeus said.

“What is this placΣ¿¿” Ellsee asked.

They had been wandering the caverns for the better part of an hour, and stunned silence had finally given way to questioning.

“These appear t.o. be .o.ld .o.uw.o.rm tunnels,” Occeus said. He put a hand to the wall of the cave and felt its glassy surface. “S.o.mething has been modifying it, th.o.ugh. These walls have been reinf.o.rced.”

They continued onward in silence for a few more minutes, the only light coming from the head of Ellsee’s staff. Eventually, they stumbled upon a central chamber.

The first thing Occeus noticed was its size. The tunnels they had been traversing had been spacious enough for the two of them, but the chamber could currently house a hundred times that many trolls.

The first thing Ellsee noticed is that the room was filled with corpses. They covered the floor, chunks of flesh missing and in various different states of decay.

“Um, OccΣus¿¿” Ellsee stuttered, “What is this¿¿”

Occeus looked at the patch of corpses illuminated by Ellsee’s staff.

“Hmm,” Occeus walked deeper into the chamber and began dissecting a corpse. The low hum of his surgical laser filled the chamber.

“What doΣs hmm mΣan?¿¿”

Something shifted on the opposite side of the chamber. Ellsee swung her staff around, the twin beams from its eyes cutting through the gloom. She looked at Occeus, who was still giving all his attention to the corpse he was cutting up.

“Did you hΣar that¿¿” she asked.

Occeus didn’t look up.

“See what?”

“SomΣthing movΣd¡¡”

Occeus turned to face her.

“It was pr.o.bably just a revenant. Blast it if y.o.u see it again.” Occeus’s focus returned to the corpse. “Intriguing. This c.o.rpse has n.o. parasite, just s.o.me s.o.rt .o.f filament in the cranial cavity. Eye’m attempting t.o. rem.o.ve a sample n.o.w.” He lowered his laser and began cutting.

The instant the laser met flesh, every corpse in the room began shrieking.

“What thΣ FUCK¿¿” Ellsee screamed, trying to be heared over the din. As she spoke, the sea of flesh began to writhe and transform.

Flesh twisted and knit itself anew, sinew and muscle melting and reforming into a horrific new form. The overall result was something that looked like a tripodal cooked turkey, if said cooked turkey was lined with faces and had teeth made out of ribs where poultry would have the remains of a neck. The creature stood still for a moment, as if appraising the situation. Then a green bolt of fire hit it, and it scuttled into action.

“What is that¿¿” Ellsee cried.

“Eye think it’s an adult,” was Occeus’s reply.

The monster rushed forward, and a massive spear of bone burst from its side as it ran. Its ensuing slash barely missed Occeus, the air whistling as it rushed past.

Another fireball slammed into its side.

“HΣy assholΣ¡¡” Ellsee taunted, “OvΣr hΣrΣ!”

“D.o.n’t damage the subject!” Occeus cried.

“It’s trying to kill you¡¡”

“That’s a rather c.o.mm.o.n .o.ccurence in my research!”

Whatever retort Ellsee was planning was interrupted when something burst out of the monster’s side and grabbed her. It was hard to tell, but at one point it may have been a ribcage. The creature brought her close, and another spike of bone jutted out in her direction. Before it could pierce her, however, there was a loud humming and the distinctive smell of ozone.

Occeus switched off his laser and looked at the stump where the bone spike had been. He had been expecting a bit more resistance, but he supposed that the creature’s decomposing form hadn’t done its constitution any favors.

The creature let out a piercing wail and tightened its grip on Ellsee. Her body let out a few alarming snapping sounds and she fell limp inside her skeletal prison.

The sight of his injured matesprit filled Occeus with something he hadn’t felt in a long time: Pure, unbridled rage. Fuck getting a live test subject. Fuck getting the intact corpse of a dead one. These desires had been replaced with the need to see this monster suffer, and to see it die. Occeus put his fingers to his lips, and whistled.

The sound was loud in the enclosed space of the chamber, and it took several seconds for the echoes to fully fade. The only other sound was the rapid pounding of Occeus’s heart in his head. The creature turned to face him, confusion evident even with its lack of facial features.

The pounding in Occeus’s head got louder and louder, except it wasn’t in his head at all, and it was more of a rumbling, really.

Occeus’s lusus burst into the chamber. Its mouth was smeared with the remnants of corpses, but as always, it was still hungry. It instantly focused on the largest source of food in the chamber: The Monster. Before the creature could react, the ouworm launched itself through its torso, and burst out the other side with a mouthful of meat. Occeus saw the briefest glimpse of a spider-like creature in its maw before it swallowed.

Robbed of its pilot, the monster collapsed. The claw holding Ellsee opened, and she rolled limply on to the ground. She stirred as Occeus made his way over to her.

“Are y.o.u alright?” He asked.

Ellsee winced. “Could bΣ bΣttΣr.” She coughed. “FUCK¡¡ I think I brokΣ somΣ ribs.”

“Y.o.’ll be alright,” Occeus said as he gently helped her to her feet. “Eye happen t.o. kn.o.w a very g.oo.d d.o.ct.o.r.”


End file.
